UK testing long-range missiles as part of military aid for Ukraine
Britain has tested new long-range weapons system that it could soon offer to Ukraine to hit Russian targets, The Telegraph reported.
These systems can hit targets situated more than 300 miles away and have been tested at a range in the Scottish archipelago Herbrides.
The weapons system have experimental platforms, each carrying a 250kg warhead, and the range allows it to potentially reach Moscow.
Further trials for the new systems are expected to take place in the UK over the coming months.
Arpan Rai20 June 2026 12:30
Zelensky says Ukraine is ‘Nato’s de facto second army’
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said Nato needs Ukraine as Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants the restoration of the Soviet Union.
“Today, Ukraine is de facto the second army of Nato – one that is not inferior to the second army in the world. And that is why Nato needs us – specifically us – de jure. This is already a fact recognised by all leaders,” Zelensky said yesterday.
“Putin will remain in the Kremlin until his death, and he has one goal: the restoration of the Soviet Union. Without Ukraine, this is impossible, and that is why things are so difficult for us,” Zelensky said, underlining Kyiv’s proximity to Russia as a key threat.
Zelensky also said that Putin “fears the return of his army home”.
“That is why he is so afraid of the war ending without victory. And there will be no victory. He is physically afraid of his own army. That is why, if there is no ceasefire backed by specific security guarantees, he will return to war. And this time, others may be the ones under attack,” Zelensky said.
Arpan Rai20 June 2026 12:00
EU not seeking mediating role in Ukraine war, Costa says
The European Union does not intend to be mediators in case of peace talks to end the war in Ukraine, as it sides with Kyiv, European Council president Antonio Costa said on Friday.
A diplomatic overture to the Kremlin by European Council president Antonio Costa has exposed divisions at a summit of EU leaders over how to handle relations with Russia.
Costa at a press conference after the summit said there were “no credible signs” that Russia wanted to engage in serious negotiations.
“What I’m doing through my office is to establish a diplomatic channel, because we cannot depend only on others to interpret Russian messages and we must be able to convey to Russia our own messages,” Costa said.
Arpan Rai20 June 2026 11:00
Zelensky stripped of Poland’s top honour over Second World War conflict
Poland’s president has decided to strip Volodymyr Zelensky of the country’s top honour after the Ukrainian president caused outrage by renaming an army unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), nationalists who massacred Poles during the Second World War.
President Karol Nawrocki’s decision looked likely to unleash a severe diplomatic crisis between the neighbours just days ahead of a conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction in the Polish city of Gdansk.
“In light of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s consent to name one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Heroes of the UPA,… I have decided to revoke the Order of the White Eagle from the President of Ukraine,” Nawrocki said in a statement.
“At this point, I would like to emphasize: this decision is not directed against the Ukrainian people. It does not signify a change in the strategic direction of Polish security policy.”
While Warsaw is a strong supporter of Kyiv’s war effort, public sentiment towards Ukraine has become more and more negative in recent years due to weariness with refugees, disputes over grain imports and the legacy of the Second World War massacres.
Arpan Rai20 June 2026 10:00
One killed in drone attack on Panama-flagged ship in Black Sea
One crew member was killed and two more injured after a drone attack on a Panama-flagged ship in the Black Sea, Panama’s Maritime Authority (AMP) said late on Friday.
The AMP said the incident occurred on Thursday and that one of the injured sailors was in serious condition. The ship was able to continue on its course, it added.
The authority added that it has “activated the relevant protocols to gather official information on the incident and maintains communication with the parties involved.”
The AMP did not say where the drone attack came from, but advised ships to avoid traveling through Ukrainian and Russian waters in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, to the north.
Panama operates the world’s largest ship registry with roughly 16 per cent of the global merchant fleet sailing under its flag.
Arpan Rai20 June 2026 09:24
Lavrov says Nato and Russia escalation could lead to nuclear strikes
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that an escalation between Russia and Nato could lead to a nuclear strikes exchange with catastrophic consequences.
“A direct confrontation between Nato and Russia could rapidly escalate into an exchange of nuclear strikes, with catastrophic consequences,” he wrote in an article posted on the Russian foreign ministry’s website.
“Under the banner of ‘strategic autonomy,’ Europe is witnessing a significant build-up of its military capabilities, including in the nuclear sphere.
“Paris’s intention to extend its ‘nuclear umbrella’ to several EU and NATO member states is a source of deep concern.
“This will do nothing to strengthen the security of France itself or the recipients of its so-called protection.”
Arpan Rai20 June 2026 09:02
UK testing long-range missiles as part of military aid for Ukraine
Britain has tested new long-range weapons system that it could soon offer to Ukraine to hit Russian targets, The Telegraph reported.
These systems can hit targets situated more than 300 miles away and have been tested at a range in the Scottish archipelago Herbrides.
The weapons system have experimental platforms, each carrying a 250kg warhead, and the range allows it to potentially reach Moscow.
Further trials for the new systems are expected to take place in the UK over the coming months.
Arpan Rai20 June 2026 08:37
Watch: Russian forces hit energy facilities in Ukraine’s Sumy regionRussian forces hit energy facilities in Ukraine’s Sumy region
Arpan Rai20 June 2026 07:38
Poland committing ‘strategic error’, says Ukrainian foreign minister
Poland’s decision to strip Volodymyr Zelensky of the top honour is a “strategic error”, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said.
Poland’s president Karol Nawrocki has decided to strip Zelensky of the country’s top honour after the Ukrainian president caused outrage by renaming an army unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), nationalists who massacred Poles during the Second World War.
“We regret that instead of looking for solutions, the Polish side decided to escalate this conflict to an unacceptable and inappropriate level,” he wrote on Facebook.
“No president of another country is going to dictate our history to us.” Polish prime minister Donald Tusk, a political opponent of Nawrocki who had sought to defuse the dispute, called for both presidents to cool emotions late on Friday.
“The conflict between Poland and Ukraine delights Putin and shocks our allies. The task of presidents Zelensky and Nawrocki is to calm emotions, not to stoke tensions. The front line runs elsewhere,” he wrote in a post on X.
Arpan Rai20 June 2026 07:15
Zelensky says Ukraine is ‘Nato’s de facto second army’
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said Nato needs Ukraine as Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants the restoration of the Soviet Union.
“Today, Ukraine is de facto the second army of Nato – one that is not inferior to the second army in the world. And that is why Nato needs us – specifically us – de jure. This is already a fact recognised by all leaders,” Zelensky said yesterday.
“Putin will remain in the Kremlin until his death, and he has one goal: the restoration of the Soviet Union. Without Ukraine, this is impossible, and that is why things are so difficult for us,” Zelensky said, underlining Kyiv’s proximity to Russia as a key threat.
Zelensky also said that Putin “fears the return of his army home”.
“That is why he is so afraid of the war ending without victory. And there will be no victory. He is physically afraid of his own army. That is why, if there is no ceasefire backed by specific security guarantees, he will return to war. And this time, others may be the ones under attack,” Zelensky said.
Arpan Rai20 June 2026 07:00